You know those thoughts you get while getting yourself and the kids ready to go and out the door.  Those thoughts about “is it time to change the filter” because realistically, when do we look at our filters much less remember to change them. 

There is an old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  This is so true.  Who wants to deal with the kids in the house with no air during the hottest day of the summer because your system is not working just because it was not maintained? There are simple things you can do to maintain the major systems in your home that are not too time consuming and are gentle on the pocket book. 

I had an efficiency check of my heating and air system prior to the change in season and they found that my overflow pan was completely rusted out.  If I had turned my upstairs unit on it would have leaked into not only my attic but also the upstairs.  Yikes and oops!  No matter the age of your heating and air system you should have it checked prior to the season.  I know that it is not something we often think about,  but take a few minutes and make an appointment to have both of them checked. It’s easier to call on your own time than when the heat or air has gone out and the kids and dogs are home and you are expecting your family for the weekend.

Now that I knew my system was running as it should, I thought to myself, why stop there?

Wherever you can see light coming in under the door or the window, air is escaping and costing you more money.  I had a handyman come out and add weather stripping to any loose doors, tighten any loose window seals, and tighten my attic pull down stairs as well.  I have found that just taking the time to walk the interior of your house and check where air is escaping is a wonderful idea.  I can rest easy now that I know that I am not cooling down the whole neighborhood. 

By the way, I checked those filters I was thinking about and they were so filthy I decided to put this on my calendar as a monthly event.

- Wendi Hensel